1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to explosive devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a boat deployed explosive net assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The United States military would benefit from an improved capability to clear explosive devices, such as mines, in a surf zone of a beach in advance of a beach assault. Rockets and self-powered or gliding aircraft have been developed for deploying line charges and explosive nets. Rockets and aircraft, however, pose deficiencies related to cost and logistics.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,524 to Richards et al., many techniques have been developed over the years for clearing safe pathways across minefields on land and below water. Most methods have involved the detonation or removal of the explosive devices. Line charges and explosive nets have commonly been employed. By way of example, an explosive net may be deployed from a safe distance using rockets to carry a leading end of the net over a minefield while a trailing end of the net remains attached to a box the net was stored in. Explosives on the net are detonated to destroy mines which are located proximate to the charges. While prior art designs appear to be satisfactory in use for the specific purposes for which they were designed, none of them seem to provide an optimumly effective solution for the detonation of mines in a surf zone.
Consequently, a need still exists for an alternative approach which provides a cost and logistically effective solution to the aforementioned problem in the prior art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.